noun
- Plural of merle; blackbirds, especially the European blackbird (Turdus merula).
Usage: chiefly British and literary; archaic or poetic in modern usage
Examples
- The merles sang beautifully in the garden at dawn.
- In medieval poetry, merles were often symbols of spring.
- A flock of merles gathered in the hedgerow.
- The old poem mentions merles and thrushes among the woodland birds.